Automatic telegraph



(No Model.)

T. P. TAYLOR;

AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPH.

1%.? n .l l w hm m hl h w R mu m r V Patented Feb. 5,1884.

. 5 U ITED STATES" PATENT 1 OFFICE THEODORE F. TAYLOR, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPH.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,110, datedFebruaryS, 1884.

Application filed April 14, 1883. (No model.)

l the agency of electric currents transmitted from a distant station,shall be clearly defined and of uniform distinctness, which I effeet bya peculiar organization of batteries and circuits, as hereinafterexplained.

The invention consists in combining with the usual transmitting andreceiving devices of an automatic, and more particularly of a chemical,telegraph an auxiliary battery havin g an electro-motive forcelessthanthat of the main 1 The circuit of the auxiliary battery itransmitting-battery, and of reverse polarity thereto, and two branchconductors containing artificial resistances extending to the earth frompoints in the main line near the transmitting and receiving terminalsthereof, respectively. The auxiliary or opposing battery is placed inthe same circuit with the transmitting-battery, and the currents whichare transmitted from the latter through the receiving-instrument reachthe earth by passing directly through the opposing battery.

s permanently completed, independently of the transmitting apparatus,through both branch conductors and artificial resistances.

It is well knownthat in fast-speed automatic telegraphs, especially whenelectrochemical receivers are employed, it is difficult to cause therapidly-succeeding impulses tobe recordedin characters sufficientlydistinct and sharply defined to render the dispatch perfectly legible.This difificulty is due to the fact that an electric impulse, especiallywhen transmit ted through a conductor of great length, becomes prolongedas to its duration, and the character which is recorded thereby, insteadof being a sharply-defined dot or dash, is correspondingly lengthenedout, and becomes faint at its commencement and termination,

while its intermediate portion is comparativethe auxiliary battery, andexerts, by means of a positive current, an electrochemical action uponthe chemical receiving-paper, produeing a mark. Immediately upon theinterruption of the circuit of the transmitting-battery the unopposedcurrent from the auxiliary battery at thereceiving-station flows backthrough the paper and into the main line,

thereby both neutralizing the residual or inductive current which tendsto flow through the receiving-instrument, and serving to clear the mainline from electrostatic charge.

The accompanying drawing is a diagram illustrating one method ofcarrying out my invention.

Referring to this diagram, A and B respectively represent a transmittingand a receiving station of an automatic telegraph. These stations areunited, in the usual manner, by a main line, L. At thetransmittingstation A is placed a transmitting-battery, E, having itspositive pole connected by a conductor, 2, with the metallictransmitting-drum T. The negative pole of the battery E is connectedwith the earth at G by a conductor, 1. A metallic transmitting-stylus,z, rests upon the surface of the drum T, and any well-known or suitablemechanism may be employed for causing an automatic transmittingpattern-slip, l, to pass between the stylus and the drum. Thetransmitting or pattern slip P is perforated with groups of apertures ofvarying lengths and intervals, as required, to represent the dispatchwhich it is desired to transmit by an arbitrary system of signs-such,for example, as the Morse telegraphic code.

At the receiving-station B is placed a recording apparatus, M, of anysuitable or well known construction. A strip of chemicallypreparedpaper, N, is caused to pass. rapidly and uniformly between the drum Mand the stylus m of this instrument in a well-known The drum M is.connected with the earth by conductors 4 and 3, between which is placedthe auxiliary battery E, the positive or marking pole of this batterybeing connected with the drum and the negative pole with the earth. Theelectro-m otive force of the battery E is preferably made aboutone-third as great as that of the battery E.

Extending from a point, 0, in the main line, near thetransmitting-station, to the earth at G is a branch conductor, Z,containing an adjustable artificial resistance, R. A similar conductor,Z, extends from a point, 0, near the receiving terminal of the line L,to the conductor 3, in which an artificial resistance, R, isalso-included, this resistance being preferably approximately equal tothe resistance It. The proportions of the resistance of the main lineand the artificial resistances which I prefer'to employ may beapproximately indicated as follows: Assuming the resistance of the mainline to be nine hundred ohms, the resistances R and It should be eachabout three thousand ohms. The main battery E should then comprise aboutninety cells and the auxiliary battery E thirty cells. I

.The operation of my improved system is as follows: While the apparatusis at rest a constant current from the battery Etraverses the line L andthe branch conductors l and 1, dividing itself between them in inverseproportion to their respective resistances, in accordance'with thewell-known law of Ohm. \Vhen the transmitting pattern strip I is causedto pass between the roller T and the stylus t, electric impulses will betransmitted upon the line L from the positive pole of the battery E,

which will traverse the main line L, the two branch lines Z and Z, andtheir '-includ"ed resistances, and also the receiving-instrument M. Thegreater portion of this current will, however, on account of the lessresistance offered, I

traverse the receiving-instrument M and the auxiliary battery E. Thecurrent from the last-named battery will thus be neutralized andoverpowered, and the excess of current from the main battery E will actupon the chemically-prepared paper and record, in the form of dots anddashes or like arbitrary characters, the'impulses which are transmitted.

Immediately upon the cessation of each im-' pulse the auxiliary batteryE again acts to posing the discharge of the line by a reverse currenttransmitted directly through the chemical paper, a sharply-definedrecord will in all cases be obtained, and by transmitting the opposingimpulse through the line the latter will be placed in a condition toreceive the next succeeding impulse and to record the same as asharply-defined character.

I have described my invention as organized for effecting the impressionsby closing the circuit of the main battery E. It is evident, however,that the polarity of the two batteries may be reversed, the negativepoles of each being then applied to the main line L and the necessaryelectric changes produced by interrupting the circuit of the battery E.This may conveniently be accomplished by substituting for the perforatednon-conducting strip 1 suitable conducting material, upon the surface ofwhich are formed arbitrary characters of non-conducting substance in therequired sequence. in this case be normally complete, and will beinterrupted by the passage of a non-conducting surface between the drumand stylus of the transmittingapparatus. At the receivingstation thecurrent from the battery E will so long as the battery E is applied tothe line, be overpowered and neutralized by the latter, and no effectwill be produced upon the receii ingpaper. Vhen, however, the battery Eis disconnected from the line, in the manner described, by thenon-conducting surface constituting a dot, dash, or other telegraphicsignal, the current from the battery traversing the conductors Z and Z,will produceupon the chemical paper a record corresponding to theduration of the interruption of the circuit. The current from thebattery E is immediately overpowered, when the battery Eis' againapplied to the line in the same manner as in the organization firstdescribed.

I do not claim, broadly, the use of one or .more auxiliary batteries ofreverse polarity and inferior electro-motive force, placed at one ormore points in the main line between the transmitting and receivingstations, and acting in opposition to the pulsations from thetransmitting-instruments to free the main line The circuit of thebattery'E will 1' OCI from static electricity; nor do I claim the ap-'plication. of one or more secondary polarization or storage batteriesbetween the transmitting and receiving stations for the samepurpose, asI am aware that such organizations have been heretofore known and used.

I claim as my inventiona 1. The combination, substantially ashereinbefore'set forth, of a telegraphic main line,

a main battery, means for transmitting electric impulses from saidbattery upon said main line, a telegraphic receiving-instrument, anopposing battery having less electro-motive force than said mainbattery, through which the impulses transmitted from said main batteryto the receiving-instrument are caused to pass, and two branchconductors, each eon-' taining an artificial resistance, permanentlycompleting the circuit of the opposing battery through the line andreceiving-instrument.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a maincircuit, in which I 4. The combination, substantially as hereis placed amain battery, a transmitting-instrurnent, an opposing'battery of lesselectromotive force than the main battery, and a receiving-instrument,two branch or shunt conductors permanently united with the main circuit,one of which spans the transmitting-instrument and main battery and theother the receiving-instrumentand opposing battery.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a maincircuit, in which is placed a main battery, a transmitting-instrument,an opposing battery of less electromotive force than the main battery,and a re-.

ceiving-instrument, two branch or shunt conductors permanently unitedwith the main circuit, one of which spans the transmitting-i11- strumentand main battery and the other the receiving-instrument and opposingbattery, and an artificial resistance placed in each of said branch orshunt circuits.

inbefore set forth, of a main line, a main battery, means fortransmitting electric impulses therefrom upon said main line, a chemicalreceivinginstrument, an auxiliary battery of reverse polarity placed inthe line adjacent to the said receiving-instrument, a branch or shuntconductor permanently completing the "circuit of said opposing batterythrough said 0 receiving-instrument, and an artificial resistanceincluded in said conductor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 11th day ofApril, A. D. 1883. Y

THEODORE F. TAYLOR.

\Vitnesses:

BAZEL W. VE Rs, FARLIN S. BALL.

